Thursday, July 19, 2012

Parshas Mattos and Ma'say-- Gratitude

This week's double parsha begins listing all the places Bnai Israel camped over their forty year sojourn in the desert. What is the significance of Hashem going through all of the different places?

The Torah continuously describes the locations where the Jews were in the desert, in order to show that those places were completely uninhabited by anything-- humans, vegetation, or animal life. Moreover, former generations know that those areas were uninhabited, more proof that the Jews had divine assistance from above.

He is showing that the only way Bnai Israel survived the conditions in the desert was through His assistance. By having the Jews sojourn in the desert for forty years, Bnai Israel learned to build their emunah- loyalty/commitment- to Hashem, recognizing that, had He not sustained them, they would not exist.

Furthermore, Hashem wanted to proclaim to the entire world that it was He who sustained the entire nation of Israel.

This should inspire us all to see Hashem in our everyday lives. He sustains us in more ways than we appreciate. From our shelter, to the food we are blessed to eat, we should continue to develop gratitude for the One who has given us everything we have, regardless of how much or little that may be.